How to Bend a Mauser Bolt

The Mauser 98, otherwise known as the K98, was the battle rifle used by the German Wehrmacht from 1935 until the end of WWII. This rifle -- as of 2011 -- is widely collected by military surplus aficionados, and used by hunters and shooting enthusiasts. The Mauser 98 is not factory equipped with a scope. In order to mount a scope on the weapon, the straight bolt handle needs to be bent to allow for proper scope clearance and performance.

Things You'll Need

  • Bench vise
  • Medium cut flat metal file
  • Bolt handle forging blocks (fit to Mauser 98)
  • Bolt heat sink (fit to Mauser 98)
  • Heat paste
  • Oxyacetylene torch
  • Mall
  • Forging punch
  • Pliers
  • Bucket of water
  • Sanding and polishing drums
  • Rotary tool
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Instructions

    • 1

      Unload the weapon completely. Pull the bolt to the rear. Visually inspect the chamber to ensure that no live ammunition is present.

    • 2

      Turn the safety upward to the vertical position. Swing the bolt release lever outward and simultaneously pull the bolt to the rear and out of the action.

    • 3

      Depress the bolt retaining pin located on the upper bolt sleeve. Hold pressure and turn the bolt counterclockwise. Continue unscrewing the bolt sleeve and separate the bolt sleeve from the bolt body.

    • 4

      Turn the extractor clockwise until it sits outside the small groove located on the front of the bolt body. Push the extractor forward and off of the bolt body.

    • 5

      Secure the bolt body into a secure bench vise. Ensure that the bolt handle's root point (where the handle connects to the body) is accessible to work on.

    • 6

      Note that the handle at the point where it joins the bolt body is square shaped. Round the square edges of the root point with a medium-cut flat metal file until the root point blends in with the round bolt handle.

    • 7

      Insert a Mauser bolt heat sink inside the bolt body. This will protect the threads of the cocking piece while you heat the handle. Apply heat-stop paste to the exterior of the bolt body and the cocking cam notch.

    • 8

      Secure the bolt body inside the forging blocks. Ensure that the square root of the bolt handle -- the part that you just filed -- is secured in the provided notch inside the blocks. Center the bolt handle inside the rounded groove in the right-side forging block. Clamp the forging blocks securely in the bench vise. Ensure that the lips (top sides) of the forging blocks are resting against the tops of the vise jaws.

    • 9

      Heat the bolt handle shank from the top down using the oxyacetylene torch. The idea is to heat the length of the handle shank only, excluding the top handle ball and bolt body. Heat until the full length of the shank is glowing bright orange-red down to the bottom of the handle where it is secured into the forging blocks.

    • 10

      Hit the off-side of the handle ball with the mall until you bend the handle into the forging groove inside the right-side forging block. Ensure that you bend the handle 15 degrees from vertical. Set the forging punch against the handle. Hammer the forging punch to move the handle down inside the forging groove in the block.

    • 11

      Continue heating as needed and hammering the shank into the forging block groove until it sits squarely in the groove. When finished, the bottom end of the handle shank will angle away from the top of the blocks, enough so that the bolt knob can clear the stock during operation. For most stocks, the underside of the handle will need to be between 0.150 inches to 0.200 inches above the rounded groove on the outside edge of the forging block.

    • 12

      Place a bucket of water under the vise. Open the vise jaws. The forging blocks will drop into the bucket. Grasp the bolt heat sink with your pliers. Slowly submerge the bolt into the water. Ensure that you submerge the bolt so that the locking lugs enter the water first as you hold the bolt body at an angle, keeping the bolt handle out of the water. Continue holding the bolt in the water and allow the bolt handle to air-cool for 10 minutes.

    • 13

      Place the bolt handle into the vise after it has cooled down. Clean up the bolt handle using sanding and polishing drums with a rotary tool until the bolt handle is smooth and polished.